“Om Shanti Shanti Shanti”

This chanted phrase is easily recognized by anyone who has taken a yoga class – that is, any Yoga class not taken at a 24-hour fitness or some other highly corporate gym environment where the physical aspects of Yoga take precedence over the spiritual. Yoga is a highly spiritual endeavor that entails 8 limbs – Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi – all of which combined creates a healthy harmony between mind and body. Of these, people are most familiar with the “asanas,” or postures, because Yoga classes in our society tend to revolve around the physical exercise entailed in Yoga, maybe with a dash of Pranayama (breathing exercises) and some watered-down version of meditation at the close of class.

While Yoga is increasingly popular in this country, especially those that are physically rigorous like Ashtanga (my favorite) and its Americanized variant of Power Vinyasa, classes are available only to those who choose to pay the hefty $13-$20 price tag per class. Also, for those who seek a quieter, more private practice, then the choice is either coughing up the cash for a private trainer (cue cardiac arrest here), or trying to remember a vinyasa sequence from memory. Not to mention many people lack the self-discipline necessary to follow through their own practice.

YogaTrainer Pro by NexStudios.jp may not be a substitute for an actual class with a certified teacher who can physically guide you in correct posture and proper alignment, but it at least provides you with structured, timed yoga sequences to allay any slacking off. When opening the app, you have a selection of different courses, such as Daily Warmup Yoga, Advanced Poses, Meditation Course, Sun Salutation Series, Yoga for Abs, and a few others. When you select one – say, “Full Course,” – you immediately start a timed practice to follow. Full Course begins with Pigeon Pose, giving you 50 seconds to hold the pose before it moves on to the next pose, Awkward Chair. Should you wish to skip a pose, either tap the forward arrow key at the bottom or simply shake your iPhone. The Full Course takes you through 30 poses or so, but the other courses are much shorter in length. Rather than relying on yourself to push yourself through a vinyasa, YogaTrainer gives you the proper guidance so you may obediently follow. Also, YogaTrainer speaks aloud the different poses for each picture.

The app is definitely geared toward those who have practiced before, as the pictures are provided with the assumption that you know how to correctly align yourself. If you do have any doubt, however, you can tap the teeny-tiny-nearly-impossible-to- touch-due-to-its-miniscule-size “i” along the bottom right of the picture to give you more information on the pose, such as its benefits and how to actually align – or malign, I like to say – your body into the contorted result. The directions are actually fairly good, described well, and I found any additional information on the posture’s benefits to be helpful and interesting.

YogaTrainer Pro is not for those seeking a fast-paced and vigorous Vinyasa flow. Expect, instead, a more Iyengar style practice – specifically, a practice focused on holding postures for longer periods of time and not a flowing class where you move constantly, connecting your breath to your movement. The Advanced Poses course does offer some very challenging poses, namely arm balancing postures, but once again they’re slower-paced and not cardio-inducing at all. Another strength of YogaTrainer is its plethora of background information on yoga for the beginner, as its extended “Introduction to Yoga” covers all the essentials, including physical and mental benefits of Yoga, FAQ concerning Yoga, and the 8 Limbs of Yoga.

I enjoy Yoga as much as the next Bay Area woman, but sometimes I’d rather ditch a class and save the money by practicing in my own house. YogaTrainer Pro may not give me the same rigorous heart-pumping workout I may get in my usual Ashtanga practice, but it does provide me with a simulated teacher that guides me through a sequence of postures, and even some meditation that is far easier to fall into in the comfort of my own bedroom.